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June 27, 1933. E f 4vL J, FINDLATEIR 1,915,657

METHOD OF MAKING A COMPOSITE DIE ELEMENT Filed June 28, 1930Y /i /f/oPatented June 27, 14933 JOHN J'. FINDLATEB, OF FE-NDA'LE, MICHIGANHETHOD F MAKING A COMPOSITE DIE ELEMENT appunti@ mea :une 2a, 1930.'seria: m. 464.41.

This invention relates to dies of the composite type and particularly tosuch dies as are employed in blanking and shearing operations.

'5, Composite dies for such purposes are, in themselves, old in the art.In the past, such dies have generally been made by providing a body orbase portion of wrought iron and a shearing or cutting portion ofhardenable steel. .In joining these two parts together they have beenbrought up to a suiiicient temperature to bring the surface of thewrought iron base or body member 4toa fluid condition and the hardenablesteel member Vhas then been placed in position on the base or body andsimply tapped down into place, and during cooling of the 'two pieces,the hardenable steel member becomes firmly adhered to the base or bodymember. The two members thus secured together may thereafter be broughtto suitable temperature and then quenched, resulting in hardening of thehardenable steel portion thereof.

Another method that has been followed the past is to form the base orbody member of machine steel, and place the hardenable steel member intoposition thereon and pass an electric current between them, with a re'sult that the 'hardenable steel member and the base member are securedtogether by an operation similar to a spot welding operation. As ageneral rule where such members are secured' together by either of theabove described processes, it is substantially impossible, after themembers have once been secured together, to change their shape wheresuch change entails a material bending of the two members, and this forthe reason that in bringing the members up to a suitable tem- 40perature to enable them to be bent, the bond between the two members isweakened to such an extent that it is not suiliciently strong towithstand the dierence in stress asset up in the two members during thebending op- 5 eration, with a result that the two portions tend to slideoneach other and the bond between them is 'ruptured in one or moreplaces, thus rendering the membersunsitable, or at least less it, forthe purposes which they are intended to serve.

In accordance with the present invention, I provide a" composite die inwhich the two members are so intimately connected together that they maybe reheated and bent, rolled, forged or otherwise worked to any shapedesired without any danger of loosening one from the other or aectingthe bond between them.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present l invention to provide animproved processin 5 0 the manufacture of composite dies.

.Another object is-to provide a composite die -in which the metal ofvthe two portions thereof at the junction between them is intimatelyintermingled. -Another object is i to provide a compose die that may berepeatedly 'heated and worked' without aiecting the bond between thedifferent portions thereof.

A further object is tto provide a composite die that may be originallyformed in straight condition and thereafter bent, forged, rolled orotherwise modified to any desired form' without affecting the bondbetween the d'en' ent portions thereof in any manner what- "Y The abovebeing among the objects of the present invention the same consists incertain features of construction, combinations of parts and methodhereinafter described of manufacture to be with reference to theaccompanying drawing, and then claimed,

having the above and other objects in view. In the accompanying drawingwhich illustrates a suitable embodiment of the resent invention, and inwhich likev numer s referI to like parts throughout the several dier-"4' Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional viewl taken through two elements of acomposite die and showing thesame in slightlyspaced relationship as inthe manner they are positioned during the first stepy of operation inthe-man- Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken transversely throughin accordance with the present the two parts shown cured together.

Y Fig. 8 is a perspective View of a composite die sectlon.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of an illustrative ema bodiment of a blanking orshearing die formed of composite die parts, the same being'taken as onthe line 4-4 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken through the dieshown in Fig. 4, on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4, the dies being shown inoperative position relative to one another and secured to the head andtable respectively of a press.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view of one of the elements ofthe dies shownin Fig. 4 illustrating the manner in which it is formed from a membersuch as is, shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing I show in Fig. l a block 10 of substantiallyvnon-hardenable ferrous metal, preferably machine steel, and a smallerblock 11 of hardenable steel or steel alloy which may or may not be ofthe air hardening type. The block 10 is usually of greater horizontaldimensions than vertical dimensions, as shown, and the block 11 isusually of greater vertical dimensions than horizontal dimensions, asshown. As in the case of most composite dies, it is desired to securethe block 11 of hardenable lmaterial along one edge of the base, and theblock 1l is so positioned relative to the base 10 in Fig. 1. Inaccordance with the present linvention, the blocks 10 and 11 are grippedor secured respectively in the opposite chucks or holding members of anelectric arc welding machine. Such machine must be of a relatively greatcapacity as is illustrated by the fact that I have found that a 600 KVAwelding machine is most suitable for this use. rlhe members 10 and 11while gripped in the machine are thenl brought together until contact isestablished between them and are then separated so as to establish anarc between them, and thisv arc is continued until from 10% to 50% ofthe block 11 has been melted away. I iin'd that normally 20% to 30% ofthe block 11, being melted away, permits an absolutely perfect union tobe formed between the two members. By the time this amount of the block11 has been melted away, the surface between the two members, betweenwhich the arcing takes place, has become extremely fluid and approachesa boiling condition, causing the metal which has dropped off the member11 to become intimately mixed' with that of the member 10. The twomembers are then pressed together and the current shut olf on themachine, with the result that the metal of the two members becomesintimately mixedv with each other and in cooling establishes a jointbetween the two members' which is equally as strong las the membersthemselves. In fact,

it is absolutely .impossible to determine any line `of demarcationbetween lthe two members and a mierephotograph of the joint between themclearly establishes an intermingling of the metal of the two membersover a heated'to a suitable temperature and then be worked any shape orcurvature desired without any possibility of one of the portionsshifting relative to the other, or any weakening of any kind of the bondbetween them.

\ In the formation of large dies it is the usual practice to make thesame of a plurality of sections each of which is made 'up of relativelyshort lengths formed as above described. F or instance, I show 'in Fig.4 by way of illustration, a blanking die for a relatively large,irregularly shaped sheet metal part (not shown). The die shown in Fig.4, and shown in section in Fig. 5, comprises an upper die assembly 15and a lower die assembly 16. The upper die assembly is formed of aplurality of sections 15a to 15j respectively, and the lowerdie assembly16 is formed from a plurality of sections 16a to 16Z respectively. Thehardenable steel portions of each of the sectionsl is positioned aroundthe outer margin of the upper die and extending downwardly therefrom asillustrated in Fig. 5, and the hardenablesteel portion of the lower die16 is positioned around the inner margin of the die 16 and extendingupwardly therefrom, the outer edges of the upper die and the inner edgesof the lower die being positioned in substantial vertical alignment sothat in passing the upper die down into the lower die a sheet ofmaterial (not shown) placed between them will be sheared or blanked tothe proper shape as determined by the contour of the die.

It will be noted that substantially every section of the dies 15 and 16are of more-orico edges, and the present invention is particularlyapplicable to dies of this type.

To take a specific example, the operation forming the section 16e may befollowed through, the same general steps of formation being applicableto all of the remaining 'se'tions. The straight die section, such as isillustrated in Fig. 3 and formed as described in connection with Figs. 1and 2, is first heated and then bent to the shape indicated in Fig. 6.The shape ofthe desired finished part 16e is then laid out on thememberwillustrated in Fig. 6 as indicated by the dotted lines, and thenthe member is machined to bring it to the shape indicated by the dottedlines, it being understood that suiicient stock .is left for the finalfinishing operation. The piece ,is then heated and lquenched so as toharden the h'ardenable steel portion or,V if this portion isair-hardening steel, heated and cooled in air. The cutting surfaces orledges of the member are then ground to the desired finished contour.Suitable openings, not shown, are

drilled in thev machine steel portion thereof and the finished lmemberis then bolted or otherwise suitably secured as by bolts or screws 20 tothe table 21 of a power press in' correct relationship with respect tothe remainin sections,-as determined and maintained y dowel pinsLikewise the sections 15 are secured ina smilarmanner by bolts or screwssuch as 22and dowels 22 to- 10 the head 23 of the press in propercooperatingrelationship with respect to the remaining sections, and tothe sections 16 of the lower die assembly.

While I have above described a composite die elementy as made-up of abase member of relativel greater width than thickness, and the harenable member as being secured to .one ofthe wide faces thereof, it willbe Caparent that this arrangement is simply one 2 orm of such dies andthat the size, shape and contour of both portions may be materiallydifferent from that shown, in some cases, and they may be secured toeach other in any position desired. Also, although I have shown anddescribed the members or portions as originally being relativelystraight, it will be apparent that in some cases either one lor boththereof maybe curved in one or more planes prior to their being secured.together. This last feature will be particularly true where thehardenable member is of cast construction not permitting bending underany circumstances, in which case it must be 'castto approximatelyfinished curvature and '35 thereafter be secured to its base or support(ingt portionin the manner above described.

n conclusion it ma be stated that the article herein provided as a bondbetween the two portions thereof of a nature never before 4 produced inarticles of this kind, and that the bond between the-portions thereof isof such an intimate nature as to permit a blank made up as described tobe bent, forged, rolled or otherwise worked, particularly '45 ywhere thehardenable portion is not of cast construction, so as to forma curved,elongated, upset or otherwise 'formed final product in which the bondbetween the portions has not been weakened in an re ect. 5 In thefollowing claims w ere employ th word hardenable steel or itsequivalent, it is to be understood that this term is meant to includeany ferrous allo of either wrought or cast nature, suitable or the usedescribed.

'55 Formal changes may be made in the specilic embodiment oftrheinvention described, without de arting om the spirit or substance of t ebroad invention, the scope of which is commensurate with the appendedclaims.

What I claim is: 1. rlhe method of making a composite die Eelement,comprising in securing a block of hardenablesteel to 'a blocksubstantially nonhardenable ferrous metal by first causing an electricarc to pass between said blocks until approximately ofsaid hardenablesteel block has been melted awayand deposited upon a surface of theother, and then pressing sa' e blockstogether to form a composite dieelement adapted to be bent to desired contour.

2. The method of making a composite die element, of curved contour,comprising in providing a relatively straight block of hard- 'enableferrous metal and a relativelyl strai htblock of substantiallynon-hardenable er- Arous metal, placing said blocks in approxi-- matelythe relative positions they'are to assume in the finished product,passing an electric arc between them until a portion of one ofy them hasbeen'nlelted away and deposited upon a surface of -the'othen, p essingsaid blocks together,'and then bendi to the desired contour. l

vao said blocks 3. Themethod of making acomposite die element of curvedcontour, comprising in providing a relatively straight block ofhardenable ferrous metal and 'a relatively strai 'ht blockv ofsubstantially non-hardenable errous metal, positioning said blocks witha surface of each in approximate alignment, passingk an electric agebetween the adjacent faces of said blocks ntil 10% to 50% of thehardenable block has been melted awayand deposited upon a surface of theother. and then pressing said blocks together, and then heating saidblocks and bending them to the desired contour. A

4.. The' method of making a composite die element of curved contour,comprising in providing a relatively straight block of hardenableferrous metal and a relatively straight block of substantiallynon-hardenableferrous metal, positioning said blocks with a surface ofeach in approximate alignment, passing an electric arc between theadjacent faces of said blocks until 10% to 50% of the hardenable blockhasbeen meltedaway and ldeposited upon a surface of the ,other and thenpressing said blocks together, then heating said blocks and bending themtothe desired contour, then rough machining said then inishfmachiningsaid blocks. 'j

J CHN J. FINDLATER.

t 1'20 blocks, then heating and quenching them, and

